Sunday, December 12

Rest

"As I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter my rest. . . So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." Heb 3: 11-19

I consistently fall into the trap of thinking that if only I could get the proper amount of time away from my work, or go on a real sabbatical, or maybe even get 8 plus hours of sleep per night I might finally feel rested.  But the heart of the matter lies not so much with the rejuvenation of my body, but with the rejuvenation of my heart.

And so in order to find the rest that I need to carry out the work I have been called to, I need to seek out not just time off, but time with my Lord, the giver of life and the rest that He provides through His strengthening Spirit.  Rest for us in God is rest forever.  Let our prayer be then that we have belief in Him with the finality being a rest that is eternal and real.

4 comments:

Jen said...

Perhaps you'd like to read what Phil recently wrote on "rest"....
http://battermyheartblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/paradox-of-rest.html

SO miss you guys and love getting glimpses of that sweet just shy of 2 days YEAR old babe! Hope it's a fun birthday week for you all and that you're not too overwhelmed with the passing of time as you celebrate his day of birth!

Bonnie said...

Yes, you need some celebrating ........a wedding anniversary and birthdays coming up! Not sure we got much rest when our kids were young either ! I am praying for rest in your soul.

Aunt Ruth said...

A couple of weeks ago I started feeling better, had stamina and energy and I don't know why. I am not resting more, not sleeping more, haven't stopped worrying like a mother worries, but I am better. It has been five months since my knee replacement and I still have pain, but it doesn't matter, I have energy. Thanking God for that for I don't have any other explanation. It has been at least three years since I have felt as well as I do now.
Eric, I'm thinking that's what you need, some of that God given energy from out of the blue, a Christmas surprise. But as I write this the photo of sleeping Omari is right beside it, and it is so restful to look at his peaceful, innocent face. That is a God given peace for sure.

Meredith Roark Childress said...

Hi Eric...When I think of all you and Kelly have been through in the last three years, it's amazing that you function so well. And what I want to say is that when you spend time with God, make part of it reflection on your life. I have come to believe that if we can see what we've been given to handle, we can lose some of our anxiety (which robs us of real rest) and find more peace. Since it's often so difficult to remember all we've been through even in a day--a handwritten journal with even the sketchiest of notes will help. Then you can muse over them at your leisure. Love you...Mimi